Special Delivery 2 (Ahmad & Taelyn)

Chapter 3

I ’ d a l r e a d y b e e n in two meetings, ignored three calls, sent two “circle back” emails, and nearly told my coworker to eat glass before nine. And it wasn’t even Friday.

I was sitting on the edge of my couch with my laptop open, bonnet on, robe tied lazily around my waist, and the smell of my second coffee of the day still drifting from the kitchen.

My phone buzzed, and I looked down at the screen expecting another Slack ping or deadline reminder.

I didn’t even get to say hello before Shonica launched into it.

“Girl. Let me tell you what this man did,” she snapped, background noise windy like she was walking and talking. “No, matter fact… tell me why he’s blowing up my phone right now after I already told him we’re not talking today. Not tomorrow. Not until he fixes his attitude.”

I leaned back, already knowing this was about to be one of those rants. “You said y’all weren’t talking on Sunday.”

“Exactly. And he thought ignoring me all week would scare me? Please. He must’ve forgotten I’m a Libra with a blocked list longer than my edges were in high school.”

I muted myself and let her go off, sipping my coffee and clicking through my inbox. Shonica’s new man was always on thin ice. He just didn’t know she kept a blowtorch handy.

“And the wild part?” she continued, still heated. “This man had the nerve to post a meme talking about ‘I just want peace.’ Like I’m the chaos.”

“You are the chaos,” I said, unmuting. “But that’s why he likes you.”

“Girl, fuck him,” she huffed. “I need new dick.”

That made me laugh. “Yeah, right. You know you’re the good girl between the two of us.”

“Well, shit, I might mean it this time.”

“I hear you.”

“Speaking of new dick… what’s going on with that dude from a few weeks ago? You haven’t mentioned him since you finally kicked the married loser to the curb.”

I opened my mouth to tell her to mind her business, but paused as my phone buzzed in my hand. I glanced down at the screen and immediately sat up straighter.

I bit my lip. That man had a way of texting like his voice was already in my ear, body already pressing up behind me, hands already reaching for my thighs. One message and I was shifting in my seat.

It’d been a little over a month since we linked. We texted here and there with random check-in phone calls or some wild 2 a.m. freaky voice notes that had me clutching my thighs. But life had been doing what life does. He had work, and I had deadlines for these ad campaigns.

“You still there?” Shonica asked.

“Yeah,” I said quickly. “Still here.”

“You’re quiet.”

“Because I’m working.”

“Lying ass,” she said. “You’re looking at your phone.”

I smirked. “Whatever.”

“No, that’s him, huh? The special delivery man. What’s his name again?”

I rolled my eyes. “Ahmad.”

She laughed. “So what, y’all linked up again?”

“Nope.”

“Not once?”

“Not once.”

“Bitch…”

I groaned. “It’s complicated, Shon. He’s been working. I’ve been busy. We talk, though.”

“And? Your ass can’t go longer than two days without sex.”

“Well…” I hesitated. “We might’ve made a pact.”

“A what?”

“Before he left,” I said, lowering my voice. “We both agreed we wouldn’t fuck anybody else. No toys. No sneaky links. Just… wait until we linked up again.”

Shonica went silent for a second. Then, she replied, “So let me get this straight. You agreed to go nutless for over a month for a man who only came through once?”

“Technically, he came through three times,” I muttered.

She cackled. “Tae, you’re down bad.”

“I know.”

“You let him say no toys?”

“I know,” I repeated, staring at the message he just sent. “I was dickmatized, okay? I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Clearly. You need help.”

“As do you.” We both laughed and hung up.

But the truth was, I really had been holding out.

The battery-operated lineup in my nightstand drawer was collecting dust like nobody’s business.

I’d taken two long showers this week and stared at the wall after both, mad as hell that I couldn’t even let my fingers wander without feeling like I was breaking a deal.

Ahmad had me acting like I was on sex probation, and I agreed to it. What the fuck was I thinking?

I let out a soft breath and stood up, walking into the kitchen to refill my mug. My stomach flipped a little. Three more days, and I was finally getting touched again. Real pressure. That deep, dangerous stroke that had me limping and aching days later.

Back on the couch, my eyes dropped to my phone for a second, thighs clenching. Then, I picked it up to text Ahmad back.

I placed my phone face down and briefly closed my eyes. I remembered the way my legs buckled trying to pour a glass of water after he left. And I agreed to wait for that again? Damn.

My eyes fluttered back open as I reached for my laptop. “Let me get back to work before I break the pact and fuck myself into a nap.”